Lindsay, Howard to fill key Salisbury positions

Mayor Jake Day this week spoke with confidence about local men hired to fill two positions in the city.

Kevin Lindsay

Kevin Lindsay is the new Neighborhood Relations Manager and Everett Howard Jr. was named Director of Housing and Community Development.

Howard had been interim director since April.

Lindsay, 41, was case manager at Goodwill for the past five years and known for his involvement in Tri County Mediation’s Community Conversations on Race and little league.

“(Salisbury Mayor) Jake (Day) and I have talked it over for the last year. He asked if I was interested and I said yes, I was. I’m excited. The position is new, so it is being developed,” Lindsay said. His first day was July 10. The mayor confirmed his annual salary is $55,000.

“This position is part of our efforts over the past two years to more directly engage with and deliver services to each of the neighborhoods in Salisbury,” the mayor said.

“Kevin has been working for years helping people connect jobs and better their lives and our community and I am confident that skill set will help empower our neighborhoods to address quality of life issues and strengthen from the inside out,” he said.

Everett Howard Jr.

Lindsay also worked in juvenile services and at the Wicomico County Detention Center and ran group homes. His career began in 2001, when he was a teacher’s aide. He ran for Salisbury City Council but was not successful.

A native of Prince George’s County, Lindsay, 41, graduated from Salisbury University in 2000, with a degree in interpersonal communications. He and his wife, Leliya, have two children, 9 and 10 years old.

“I’m excited to work for the city. I loved my job at Goodwill but I felt like once the people I worked with left my office, I couldn’t do any more for them. I’m excited to be out in the community and helping individuals. I met Jake in 2014 and we discussed his vision. I think we’ll be a good fit,” he said.

Lindsay’s position falls under Housing and Community Development. He will be the liaison between the city and Community Center and make sure the center runs smoothly, he said, as well as liaison between the mayor’s office and the community.

“Being a point of contact between city and the community, that’s the goal,” Lindsay said.

Howard retired as lieutenant from the Salisbury Police Department after 28 years, 23 which included supervisory duties. During the past two years, he was the administrative lieutenant, overseeing accreditation, internal affairs and the city’s Safe Streets program. After retiring in 2016, Howard went to work for Housing and Community Development as a code enforcement officer. In the spring, he became interim director and undertook responsibilities including budgeting, planning, policy implementation, personnel and resource management. He oversaw code enforcement and the Housing First and Youth and Community Development programs.

Howard, 51, whose annual salary will be $62,900, said the transition from police officer to code enforcer was the result of being “in the right place at the right time.”

“With the city, I’ll still be dealing with enforcement-type actions. We’re looking forward to building better relations within the city especially with my department. Code enforcement usually has a negative connotation so we are looking at building a better relationship between neighbors and the city government and this department. It’s all about building better relationships and I look forward to helping with that,” Howard said.

Day praised Howard’s experience “as a leader, as a police officer and as a person working to better Salisbury neighborhoods” and said it is “precisely what this department needs.”

“He has already proven himself a tremendous asset to the city leadership team. This incredibly important department now services the city in diverse ways: reducing homelessness, creating safe developmental opportunities for youth, protecting property values and maintaining neighborhood integrity.

“Under Everett’s leadership we can expect to see tangible results in all of those areas,” Day said.

During the past few months, Howard has “developed a strong, focused vision for the future of HCDD, one that bolsters neighborhood revitalization through a comprehensive approach of balanced code enforcement, effective neighborhood relations and robust community initiatives. He will lead this department with integrity and dedication to our community,” Day said.

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